Six disqualified barangay officials from Barangay Marcelo, Calatrava, Negros Occidental denied vote-buying allegations in the 2023 elections and launched a legal battle to retain their positions after the 2nd Division of the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) ruling.
In an exclusive interview with Brigada News FM Philippines on Friday, January 3, Barangay Kagawad Richard Diotay confirmed that they filed a motion for reconsideration to contest the decision.
He said that he and five other respondents received the COMELEC’s notice on December 18, 2024, about the disqualification petition.
He added that they submitted their motion for reconsideration to the COMELEC en banc on December 26, 2024, and are now awaiting a final decision.
Meanwhile, Diotay clarified that the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (MSWDO) and the Local Government Unit (LGU) of Calatrava initiated the distributed the cash assistance and relief goods and not them.
At the time of the aid distribution, he claimed that they served as incumbent officials and limited their role to assisting in distributing aid intended for 20 families affected by a fire, and did not offer any surplus of such to unaffected residents to sway voters.
Furthermore, he strongly refuted the claims of vote-buying, emphasizing that they lacked the financial resources for such activities. He argued that political motivations drove the petition filed by losing barangay chairman candidate Maximo Rezaga Jr.
Meanwhile, Negros Occidental Provincial Election Supervisor Attorney Ian Lee Ananoria earlier said that the COMELEC’s decision is not yet final and executory and remains subject to appeal.
He further added that once the COMELEC upholds the disqualification decision, they will remove the sitting officials from office. However, he emphasized that the officials can still appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court.
Reymund Titong is a Filipino journalist steadily building his voice in the field of news reporting, driven by a commitment to tell meaningful and relevant stories.
He serves as a correspondent for Rappler, maintains a personal blog on Medium, and is the communications officer of Hope Builders Organization Negros Island.